“We expect Apple smartphone sales to grow by more than the market average in 2018, with the launch of new models fuelling stronger replacement cycles,” said Roberta Cozza, Research Director at Gartner.

5G phones will reach the market in 2019, when rollouts of 5G networks will start in select countries, such as the US and South Korea.

“We predict that by 2021, 9 percent of smartphones sold will support 5G,” said Cozza.

“Overall, 5G will be a significant driver of video and streaming services, as it will bring faster uplinks and support new AI applications,” Cozza added.